Pig Feet Guy here
(\____/)
/ O__O \
( ( (oo) ) )
`- . o . - '
I must hand it to the Taiwanese Chinese (and the Germans/Bavarians) who make foot fetish a good thing. I don't mean the freaky creepy designer shoe salesman's problem when he tries to put on some high end designer Italian sandals on Charlotte Yorke in Sex And The City and creams his pants in the process, but swinetastic cuisines and preparations involving pig feet, or trotters.
It is true that when you are in Taipei county alone, you might spend many years trying new places and never come back to the same one, and still have many more to try in your lifetime, and perhaps the next.
So think about that one when you take a car ride 30 to 40 mins outside of Taipei City to Keelung 基隆, namely their night market 基隆廟口夜市. You want to know what "decisions, decisions" means? When you have over 200 food stalls to pick from.
Let me complicate things for you some more.
If you have foot fetish of galactic proportions, and feel like polishing your glittering skin some more (especially you ladie$ who are into the collagen), then Keelung is certainly pig feet heaven, from those who know their ways around the feet to give you that sextra pleasure.
Enter a one of a kind pig feet specialist vendor, known to the locals as 紀豬腳原汁專家. They're off the main strip of the long block of vendors, kind of slightly off the beaten path, but not too far away. Opened in 1964 originally as a street vendor stall (still around), they've made enough moolah to have expanded seating to a building nearby. They are considered young for the night market area that has over 100 years of history.
These guys don't do it like the others (where it is typically stewed with soy sauce and herbs till melt in your mouth tender, that you can find on the main strip). Nobody likes hairy toes (whether on males or females) so they clean up the feet, remove the hairs and do things right. Although it is said they deep fry it first, they ultimately steam for a while (instead of stewing) in their secret receipe clear broth to preserve the original flavor, and there's no MSG or sugar or additives. They take the front leg and feet, and cut it up into 3 portions, so you get the best of everything (especially the tendons in the pig foot, so good).
Since your stomach space is likely limited, bring a friend or two (if you can), get a bowl of signature pig feet (tendon) soup (sweetened with goji berries and red dates), and an order of the original flavor pig feet. Refreshing, sweet, and full of goodness. Maybe it's not as healing and nurturing as Hong Kong's Luk Yu Teahouse Chinese almonds, bok choy, and pork lungs creamy white soup, but it sure hits the spot.
Then save room for the other 200+ things in the area...
紀豬腳原汁專家 (Pig Feet Specialist shop)
基隆市愛四路29號2樓 (含29號前攤位) (Keelung City, 29 Ai Si Rd, 2nd fl)
02-2425-0853
Hours: ~ 3 pm to 2 am
